Daily Archives: November 17, 2012

Huge Eruption on Sun

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I have 3D Sun on my iPad, and every now and then it beeps at me and tells me that something important is happening. Earlier today it beeped at me to tell me that an ENORMOUS solar eruption happened.

Notice that the update just prior to the Huge Eruption is an update daying “NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of M-flares….” Is that funny?

Anyway, when I clicked on the current notice (“Huge Eruption”) I got this:

The movie mentioned in that text is HERE:

We won’t be getting any effects of this on Earth because it was pointing the wrong way.

"Regenesis" George Church on Atheists Talk #194, Tomorrow Morning Live

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and later on podcast.

They are the stuff of horror and science fiction stories. They are the fodder for much political debate and public fear. Yet they may be our future and our salvation.

What are they? They are artificially created biological organisms. Authors George Church and Ed Regis, in their new book, Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Recreate Nature and Ourselves, tell us they are coming, and they tell us not to be afraid. Wary, perhaps, but not afraid.

Church is a molecular geneticist, who created many of the tools we use for genetic sequencing. He is also the founder of the Personal Genome Project, which looks to sequence the genomes of 100,000 volunteers and place the data in the public domain to facilitate research into the interplay of genetics and environment in determining how we become who we are. This Sunday, he will talk to us about what we may expect from this future in which we have this kind of information and this kind of power.

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DIY drinking tips, personal jet pack, custom fit earbuds, and a pocket theremin

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… the perfect gaming chair, converting a Roomba into a security robot, removing a stripped screw with a rubber band, making a radio out of spare parts from your junk drawer, building your own lie detector machine, making a Steampunk Laptop, using the back of your monitor as a desktop, tricking out your bike, and making a ping pong table that will allow only YOU to win to matter how good your opponent may be.

Obviously, I’m talking about The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects, which is just now available, just in time for Christmas.

Pro gift giving tip: Bundle this book with a nice new soldering iron, or some other tool mentioned and used in the book.

I tried to give a good overview of the vast range of hacks presented in this book, but that is almost impossible. They are divided into categories: Geek Toys, Home Improvements, Gadget Upgrades, and Things That Go. The book starts out with some basics (such as how to solder) and then jumps right into beer brewing and drinking booze from a watermelon. One of the coolest things ins a mod for your toaster that lets it make special toast. Like, with a happy face, or a picture of Jesus, or whatever. There are a lot of hacks involving fire and minor explosions, or that involve propelling things great distances. I suppose one could argue that one learns a lot of physics and chemistry and stuff while working through these various DIY project ideas. Whatever. Just keep the first aid kit handy and make sure you know where your cell phone is. Hack #163 is a solar charger for your cell phone.

Did you know that there is such a thing as a “touchscreen overlay” that you can put on any screen to make it a touchscreen? DID YOU?

It goes on and on. I love this book. I’ll probably never do any of the things in it, but what is true of most porn is just as true of DIY porn.